Pop's Ultimate Star
Encyclopedia
Pop's Ultimate Star was TV2's reality television
show which pits former reality contestants againest each other, most of whom are former NZ Idol contestants. The show was produced by Eyeworks Touchdown, with first prize $50,000 and a Kia
'Rio
' car. It is hosted by Dominic Bowden
and was originally scheduled to be held in the St. James Theatre
in Auckland
. After damage to the St. James theatre the show was shifted to the Bruce Mason theatre before finally relocating to TVNZ's Avalon studio in Wellington
.
Originally, public voting occurred from the performance show on Sunday, where the eventual two contestants who have the lowest public votes will then be in a "sing off" on Wednesday, where the judges eliminated one contestant. After week five, TVNZ changed the format and a contestant was eliminated in the Sunday night show by the judges after the two with the lowest number of public votes were chosen.
The judges are music industry veterans Peter Urlich from Th'Dudes
, Jordan Luck from The Exponents
, Harry Lyon from Hello Sailor
and Kim Willoughby from When The Cat's Away. Lyon is the show's musical director and Willoughby the performance coach and stylist.
The show debuted on 29 May 2007, receiving mainly negative reviews, ranging from judges, song choice, lighting, singing and the most common one was the sound issue. Another controversial issue was the introduction of immunity
challenges, during episodes two through four.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show which pits former reality contestants againest each other, most of whom are former NZ Idol contestants. The show was produced by Eyeworks Touchdown, with first prize $50,000 and a Kia
Kia Motors
Kia Motors , headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010...
'Rio
Kia Rio
The Kia Rio is a series of subcompact automobiles produced by Kia Motors since August 2000. Two generations have been produced, both in five-door hatchback and four-door sedan body styles, all equipped with inline-four gasoline and diesel engines, and front-wheel drive...
' car. It is hosted by Dominic Bowden
Dominic Bowden
Dominic Joseph Bowden . is a New Zealand television personality, host, radio and voice actor. He is best known as the host of the reality series New Zealand Idol. Bowden was also the host of TVNZs game shows Are You Smarter than a Ten Year Old? and Dare to Win, which has a similar format to Minute...
and was originally scheduled to be held in the St. James Theatre
St. James Theatre, Auckland
The St James Theatre is a heritage stage theatre and cinema located on Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand. Built in 1928, it was a replacement for the older Fuller's Opera house and was originally designed for vaudeville acts...
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. After damage to the St. James theatre the show was shifted to the Bruce Mason theatre before finally relocating to TVNZ's Avalon studio in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
.
Originally, public voting occurred from the performance show on Sunday, where the eventual two contestants who have the lowest public votes will then be in a "sing off" on Wednesday, where the judges eliminated one contestant. After week five, TVNZ changed the format and a contestant was eliminated in the Sunday night show by the judges after the two with the lowest number of public votes were chosen.
The judges are music industry veterans Peter Urlich from Th'Dudes
Th'Dudes
Th' Dudes were a late 1970s / early 1980s pop/rock band from Auckland, New Zealand. Hits include "Walking in Light", "Right First Time", " Be Mine Tonight" and "Bliss".-Members:*Dave Dobbyn*Ian Morris *Peter Urlich...
, Jordan Luck from The Exponents
The Exponents
The Exponents are a New Zealand rock group led by vocalist and songwriter Jordan Luck.Their major hits, including "Why Does Love Do This To Me", "Who Loves Who The Most", "Victoria", "I'll Say Goodbye " and "Whatever Happened To Tracey" have been taken up by successive generations of younger New...
, Harry Lyon from Hello Sailor
Hello Sailor (band)
Hello Sailor was a New Zealand pop/rock band originally formed in 1975.- History :The band's history is long and complicated, with guitarist/vocalists Dave McArtney and Harry Lyon having first played together in the mid 1960s. After several lineup changes, the band released its first album, Hello...
and Kim Willoughby from When The Cat's Away. Lyon is the show's musical director and Willoughby the performance coach and stylist.
The show debuted on 29 May 2007, receiving mainly negative reviews, ranging from judges, song choice, lighting, singing and the most common one was the sound issue. Another controversial issue was the introduction of immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
challenges, during episodes two through four.
| Contestant | Placing | Status | Bottom 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Cotton Joe Cotton Joanne Monique "Joe" Cotton, born September 25, 1978, is a Canadian-born New Zealand pop singer who gained recognition as one fifth of the girl group TrueBliss, formed in 1999 on Popstars. Cotton has since joined a cover band, The Mermaids Danceband... |
Former singer - TrueBliss TrueBliss TrueBliss were a New Zealand pop girl group formed in April 1999. The band were formed on the popular television show Popstars, which aired on TV2 for nine weeks in the search for a new girl group... | Winner | |
| Nik Carlson | Runner-up, NZ Idol Season two | Runner-Up | |
| Matthew Saunoa Matthew Saunoa Matthew Saunoa is a New Zealand pop singer who rose to musical fame as the winner of the Third season of New Zealand Idol in 2006.... |
Winner, NZ Idol Season three | Eliminated | |
| Emily Williams Emily Williams Emily Williams , is a New Zealand-born Australian singer-songwriter, who rose to fame on the third season of Australian Idol in 2005, and became runner-up of the season... |
Runner-up, Australian Idol Australian Idol Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive... and singer - Young Divas Young Divas Young Divas was an Australian girl group that had consisted of previous Australian Idol contestants. The original line up consisted of season one finalist Paulini Curuenavuli, season two finalist Ricki-Lee Coulter, season three winner Kate DeAraugo and runner-up Emily Williams... | Eliminated | Nik Carlson |
| David Wikaira-Paul David Wikaira-Paul David Wikaira-Paul played Tama Hudson on New Zealand television series Shortland Street.-Biography:David joined the cast of Shortland Street in 2001 to play fresh-faced 14-year-old Tama Hudson, a high school student. David himself had already left school and completed a year of tertiary education... |
Former actor - Shortland Street Shortland Street Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera, first broadcast on Television New Zealand's TV2 on 25 May 1992. It is the country's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 4500 episodes and 19 years, and is one of the most watched television programs in... | Eliminated | Nik Carlson |
| Ben Lummis Ben Lummis Ben Lummis is a New Zealand R&B/Pop recording artist who rose to musical fame as the winner of the First season of New Zealand Idol in 2004. He is of Māori and Pākehā and Tongan descent... |
Winner, NZ Idol Season one | Eliminated | Emily Williams |
| Camillia Temple | 3rd place, NZ Idol Season one | Eliminated | Nik Carlson |
| Steve Broad | 3rd place, NZ Idol Season two | Eliminated | Camillia Temple |
| Rosita Vai Rosita Vai Rosita Vai is a New Zealand R&B singer who rose to musical fame as the winner of the Second season of New Zealand Idol in 2005.Prior to her win, Rosita managed to stay out of the 'bottom three' contestants for the entire competition... |
Winner, NZ Idol Season two | Eliminated | Nik Carlson |
| Keri Harper | Former singer - TrueBliss TrueBliss TrueBliss were a New Zealand pop girl group formed in April 1999. The band were formed on the popular television show Popstars, which aired on TV2 for nine weeks in the search for a new girl group... | Eliminated | Emily Williams |